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Souris Slang
Please note that due to the nature of this list, it will never be exhaustive. Souris has its own unique slang and expressions, as are detailed in the following. Common examples are 'slippy', 'satchel', and the use of some in front of an article to add emphasis, such as 'some cold'. Rural distinction As is noted in the Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English, those living further from Charlottetown exhibit a higher tendency to pronounce words in an 'Island tongue' (Pratt, 177). For example, when investigating the pronounciation of the word 'film', it was found that it was pronounced with two syllables (i.e. fill'em) by 40% of the sample population in Souris, 56% in Tignish, and only 24% in Charlottetown (Pratt, 177). List of Local Slang * Ain't that Somethin'?: 'Used to express disbelief, or to imply/express an interrogative. * '''An'thin: '(Pronounced n-thin) means anything. Ex: Anthin going on tonight? * 'Awful: '''Can be used as a superlative, both in the positive of the negative. Ex: "The porridge looks awful good", would mean that porridge looks very good. In the negative, an example would be "that hockey team played an awful poor game." * '''Balls on a Heifer: '''Used as an expletive in place of terms like "oh, shit!" A heifer is a female cow, and therefore cannot have balls. * '''Bernard: '''pronounced Brr-nerd * '''Blow the Stink Off Ya: '''Means to get active, get outside, go play. Said to children who have lingered in the house too long. * '''Braap: '''Verb. To ride or drive any type of offroad vehicle, particularly is such a way so as to produce noise from the motor. Used almost exclusively by youth. * '''Boot 'Er: '''To move fast, in a hurry. To rush. Ex: "I boot'ered into Town today before work" "You'd better boot'er to the Credit Union before it closes." * '''Burnt: '''Also turned, learned, etc. Pronounced with a sharp "t" instead of "ed". * '''Ceilidh: '''Gaelic spelling. Pronounced KAY-lee, like the girl's name. A traditional kitchen party style get together, with an emphasis on music and dancing. Still very popular in the summer months. * '''Coasting: '''Tobogganing/sledding. Usage does not seem to extend very far west of Souris. * '''Cousint: '''cousin. Note the insertion of the t consonant. * '''Cruisin' The Strip: '''The traditional and customary act (typically of High School students) of driving repeatedly up and down the strip. See 'The Strip', below. * '''Cutting Lines: '''Pronounced 'cuttin' lines'. The act of intentionally sabotaging another fisherman's trap lines, in such a way so as to prevent him from hauling in his traps. This is done extrajudicially, as a warning or payback. * '''Dance a Set: '''To perform a round of dance in accompaniment to fiddle or other traditional music. * '''Doiron: '''Last name; prounounced Dur-rong * '''Deep Fried Veggies: '''A local restaurant favorite, consisting of battered and deep fried mushroom, zuccinni, broccoli, and cauliflower. * '''Dingbat: '''Someone stupid, or dumb. A mild insult. * '''Dinner: '''Used variably and interchangeably between families, referring to either the noon hour meal, or the evening meal. This often leads to confusion. The noon hour meal can be lunch or dinner, while the evening meal can be supper or dinner. Lunch and supper are never to be used interchangeably, however. * '''Drawers: '''Underwear. * '''Farmer's Turn: '''An excessively wide turn, done out of habit by farmers who are accustomed to driving large machinery. * '''Fart In A Mitt: '''Often the expression "useless as a fart in a mitt". Used to emphasis futility or uselessness. * '''Fart Can: '''A modified muffler for a car, one which is often intended to make a lot of noise. * '''Fiddle Festival: '''Formally the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival. Formerly Rollo Bay Fiddler's Festival. Beginning in 1975, this annual festival is held on the third weekend in July at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Grounds. * '''The Fin: '''The Bluefin Restaurant. * '''Fleet: '''The entire apparatus of a fisherman's livelihood, including license, boat, traps, equipment, etc. * '''Fortune Good: '''Used jokingly, in disparagement. Meaning that something may not be perfect, but it is good enough for Fortune. * '''Full of Baloney: '''Means you are lying, telling a tale, etc. Used also, 'full of old rope'. * '''Gaudet: '''Last name; pronounced Goody * '''Give me a shout/holler/dingle: '''Give me a call (on the phone) * '''Go fly a kite: '''Get out of here, leave me alone, go do something else, etc. Said often to children. * '''Goes To Bed When There's Shadows Under The Stove: '''Goes to bed very early. * '''Good Enough for the Girls You Go With: '''Used jokingly, as a minor insult. Meaning that something may not be perfect, but just like one's choice in women, one is willing to settle for "good enough". Ex: "I guess that Sunfire you drive must be good enough for the girls you go with." Used in the same way as 'Fortune Good'. See above. * '''Guff: '''Attitude, lip, sass, mouth. Ex: "Not another word. I've had enough of your guff." * '"H" (pronounced hay-tch): 'local variation of h * '''Handle: '''A type of inherited nickname, in which a person is referred to by the names of his successive relatives, as far back as is needed for clarification. Still common today, particularly among those who share common last names, such as MacDonald. Ex: Dylan Paul Kenny Cyril MacDonald, Jim Reggie MacDonald. In each case, the name following the first name is the name of their father, grandfather, etc. * '''Handy: '''In close proximity. Ex: When Mom answers the phone, "Hello, is Dad handy?" May also indicate that one is skilled at something. Ex: She is quite handy with a sewing machine. * '''Harvester: '''a type of insect that emits a loud, long chirping screech during warm summer days. * '''Havin' a Time: '''Means someone is enjoying themselves, or that the activity they are doing is pleasurable or fun. "He was sure havin' a time at the beach the other day." * '''Hen's Teeth: '''Used to express disdain or disbelief, as hen's cannot have teeth. * '''Hooked Up: '''To have a tuna fish hooked on the line. * '(Inflected inhalation of yep): '''Sounds like you are saying yep while simultaneously inhaling. Often used in agreement, particularly when you don't wish to overemphasize your agreement. * '''I Seen: I saw / I have seen * 'Ignorant Day: '''a day of bad weather, particularly for fishing. * '''It'll All Come Out in the Wash: '''Used metaphorically to explain that in the end everything will be all right/everything will reach a conclusion, just as dirty clothes will ultimately come out clean after the laundry. * '''Keen: '''Eager, interested, etc. Ex: "he was awful keen to see her at the Fiddle Festival". * '''Kindling: '''Pronounced 'kin-lin'. * '''Landing Day: '''The first day that fishermen land their catch of lobster. Many local people are needed as extra hands for this day, and as a result are often gifted lobster as thanks. * '''Leblanc: '''Last name; pronounced Leblonck * '''Line Road: '''Souris Line Road. * '''Line Road License: '''Learner's permit. Used jokingly, hinting that people from the line road may begin to drive on their own before they are legally able to, perhaps due to lax police enforcement. * '''Little Phone Book: '''The small phone book sent out annually by the Graphic Newspaper, which includes listings for only King's County. * '''Long, hard 'a': '''Seen in words such as dad, bad, harbour, garbage, car, imagine. Pronounced such as baad, baaid, or baayd. * '''Mash: '''The leftovers of a boiled dinner, mashed together. * '''Many's a Time: '''Translate loosely to many times I have (done). Connotes experience or familiarity with the situation. "Have you ever milked a cow, Poppa?" "Why yes, many's a time." * '''May's'll: '''Pronounced "mays-ull", means 'may as well'. * '''Mirro(w): '''A mirror. Pronounced meer-row * '''Monta-que: '''Montague. * '''Naufrage: '''Pronounced new-frayjshe. * '''Northside: '''anywhere along the Northside road, typically from around the Goose River area, up to about North Lake. * '''North Side Tea: '''a very hearty, well steeped tea; also, moonshine. * '''Nuke/Zap: '''Cook something in the microwave * '''Older than my tongue, but younger than my teeth: '''An evasive answer given to children when one wishes to avoid revealing their true age. Dwindling usage, primarily used by seniors. * '''Opening Day: '''The first day of trout fishing season, typically in early or mid April. School attendance is notoriously low on this day. * '''Picnic Day: '''The local name for Victoria Day. It is tradition to have a picnic on this day, especially amongst families with children. Only attested to in the Souris area and East. Picnickers may go to the beach, such as Basin Head. * '''Pint: '''Such as a pint of rum. This pronunciation is rather tricky to articulate. It is pronounced much like the word point (such as East Point), but whereas point would sound as if it were spelled pwoint, pint is pronounced as if this 'w' were removed. * '''Piss Clams: '''A type of clam dug at low tide, often along the south side. * '''Pogey: '''Employment Insurance benefits/money. Ex: Drawing pogey. Means receiving EI money. * '''Pogey Pop: '''Any of a variety of pop brands (Big 8, Vess, etc.,) that are typically purchased only when one cannot afford the brand name variants, i.e. when one is drawing pogey. * '''Pop a Squat: '''Take a seat, sit down. * '''Porridge: '''Oatmeal. * '''Pour/Tour: '''pronounced as pore/tore * '''Pussy Willow: '''Any number of varieties of wetland plants that produce soft, fuzzy buds in the early spring. * '''Put (H)'Er In the Rhubarb: '''make a mistake, doing something stupid, have things go awry * '''Quite the smudge: '''used in reference to smoke or dirt. Very dirty. * '''Rails to Trails: '''Confederation Trail. * '''Rig: '''A vehicle. Often a truck or larger vehicle, but applies even to cars. * '''Rig in the Yard: '''A vehicle in the driveway. Ex: "Is Bernard home?" "His rig was in the yard when I drove by." * '''River Road: '''Souris River Road. * '''Rollo Bay: '''Pronounced Rolluhbay. People from away have the tendency to pronounce it as two separate words, placing an emphasis on the second 'o', resulting in roll-o__bay. * '''Rollo Bay Loop: '''The road south of the Main Highway, leading from Rollo Bay Inn to the old Platter House. Sometimes simply "the loop". * '''The Run: '''The name of the channel of water which flows between the wharves at Basin Head. * '''Run into 'Town: '''Go to Charlottetown * '''S Turns: '''The winding turns found several kilometers up the St. Charles road. These we created when the Island switched from horses to cars for transportation. Cars needed wider turns to accommodate their higher speeds. * '''Satchel: '''A backpack or bookbag * '''Setting Day: '''The first day of the spring lobster fishing season, where fisherman set all of their traps out in the water. * '''Shit a mill and build a dam on it: '''Used as an expletive, typically after injuring one's self. * '''Should Of: '''other uses; could of, would of, etc. Of is used in place of have. * '''Showhall: '''specifically the Souris Showhall (movie theatre). In older use, may refer to any movie theatre. * '''Sled: '''Snowmobile, skidoo. * '''Slippy: '''Slippery * '''Snotty Weather: '''Unpleasant, disagreeable weather. * '''Solomon Grundy: '''A unique type of pickled fish, sometimes cod. Spelling variations abound. As has been said, "you don't spell Solomon Grundy, you eat it." * '''Some: '''Used to place great emphasis. Ex: ''"I'm some hungry" ''meaning "I'm very hungry" * '''Somethin' Else: '''Used politely yet sarcastically to express that what was just witnessed/experienced was unpleasant or unexpected. * '''Sook: '''Rymes with look. Someone, often a child, who is whiny, complaintive, or otherwise a fuss. Can be used as a verb, adjective, or noun. Also, one may be "sooking", which is the active form of the verb. Derives from sook, a female crab. * '''Splash Pants: '''Athletic pants made of breathable materials, that are somewhat waterproof. * '''Spring Peeper: '''Small marsh/swamp frogs that peep or chirp early in the spring time. * '''St. Charles: '''This entry appears due to the tendency of some people to pronounce it as St. Char-liss. This is an example of the use of what Pratt calls "Island tongue". * '''Take a Spite To: '''past tense, ''taken a spite to. To be particularly vengeful towards, or to hold a grudge against, a certain person or thing. Example: "Your father sure has been mowing the lawn a lot lately" "Yep, he's really taken a spite to those dandelions." * 'The Strip: '''Main Street Souris, extending from the Petro-Canada, east to the Save Easy. * '''Sunday Driver: '''Stemming from the still-popular practice of going for a leisurely drive on a Sunday, this name is applied to one who drives slow, aimlessly, or without due care and attention. * '''Tickety Boo: '''Things are ship shape, in good order, good standing, etc. "She had the house tickety boo after the party". "He was feeling tickety boo once he got out of the hospital". * '''Top Pogey: '''Receiving maximum EI benefits. See pogey * ''Up East': '''variably anywhere east of Souris. When used in a provincial context, by people who are not from Souris, it may refer to Souris inclusive. * '''Warsh: '''wash. Note this insertion of the r consonant. * '''What're You At?: '''Shortened form of 'what are you at?'. Means 'what are you doing?' Ex: What're you at tonight? * '''What're You Sayin'(g): '''Shortened form of 'what are you sayin'(g). Means 'what are you doing?', 'what are you up to?' or 'what do you think?'. Ex: "What're you sayin', bud?" "Not much, just about to go for a drive." * '''Who's Your Father?: '''A common question, asked both sincerely and in jest, inquiring as to who someone's father is. Often used upon first meeting someone to establish a connection or sense of understanding between the two speakers. * '''Whore in a fit: '''Variably "like a whore in a fit", or "useless as a whore in a fit". To be flustered, in a hurry, rushed, or angry. * '''Won't: '''Where elsewhere in the country it is pronounced so as to rhyme with 'don't', it is here pronounced as 'woon't'. * '''Y is a crooked letter, and you cannot straighten it: '''An expression used to deflect incessant questions of 'why' from a young child. * '''You Couldn't Find Room For a Shadow: '''Indicates that a place is small/tightly packed. References Unless otherwise indicated, these entries have been collected orally. Pratt, T.K. ''Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English. ''Toronto, University of Toronto Press: 1988. Print.